How Do I Promote My Rental?

13 Sep , 2013

How To Promote A Rental

So you want to know how to promote a rental? Are you having trouble getting bookings or are you looking for other ideas on how to promote your vacation home? Read on through this list of ways to help you do just that. We’ll also briefly discuss each method for you.

Vacation Property Owners and Paid Websites for Rental Listing

This is the obvious choice for many vacation rental owners. And it will also be very effective since many hosts get around more than half of their bookings through paid listing sources such as VRBO and HomeAway.com. It’s a relatively easy method but it will cost you money. Of course, you will get what you paid for in return so its money well spent.

Free Listings and Classifieds For Vacation Rental People

You don’t have to use print media classifieds, you can always use free sites like Craigslist or Backpage. These usually get mixed results and you will have to deal with all the spam. The best way to use Craigslist is to funnel it to your Facebook page or website. There are also many up and coming rental listing sites that will let you put in your listing for free since they are still building their database. They are not usually very effective but of course they are free to use.

Set Up Your Own Website
This question has probably popped up in your head before. The question is: will it be worth putting in the time and money to have your own website built for your rental? A lot of rental owners overlook this method because it seems too difficult and expensive. However, there are more affordable methods to have a website built for your property at more or less 9 dollars a year for the domain name. If you have a really profitable vacation rental or if you have more than one, then this might be a very good choice for you. Having your own website lends a professional feel to your business and this will translate to more bookings.

Get A Facebook Account

If you don’t plan on getting your own website, then this option is the next best thing. In fact, if you put in a lot of effort into maintaining your Facebook page, it might even be more effective than your website. Facebook lets people who your fans are and if they have nice posts on your page, then this will be very attractive to potential guests. Of course if you get bad comments, you will also have to manage them manually. Remember that having a profile page is different from a creating a separate fan page. What’s more important is to create a fan page for your rental. This will also let you take advantage of Facebook’s paid advertising alternatives if you so choose.

Advertising Your Listing: Business Cards

Having a business card is something that people also overlook in this day and age of virtual information. But if you meet possible guests frequently, giving them your card will be a powerful tool. You can also list your website or facebook page here so that they will have a second chance to look you up and convert.

Using Airbnb

We are a big fan of Airbnb. They have a community of listings and profiles where you can read reviews on both guests and hosts alike. Airbnb also handles the payment of guests, making the transaction both easier and safer. It’s free to list but it’s not exactly a free listing site since Airbnb will charge your guest a small percentage from the total payment. If your already on Airbnb and need help getting your rental or room promoted, check out our article on how to be more visible on Airbnb.

Good luck with your marketing techniques. Remember, these are just some of the ways on how to promote a rental and there are lots of others to discover.